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Electricity

“It is simply not worth it to invest in coal power plants," says Bärbel Höhn. Speaking to EurActiv Poland, the German lawmaker talks about the realities of the Energiewende, its costs and benefits, as well as its impact on coal-rich areas.

European Commission proposals for an Energy Union will include a target for 10% interconnection of electricity grids across borders. But the objective, initially decided in 2002, has remained elusive because of entrenched national interests.

As energy ministers of eight countries from Southeast Europe meet in Sofia today (9 February) to discuss the countries’ needs and ambitions, a leaked paper has shed light on the European Commission’s plans to help the region overcome its various problems.

Europe could have saved itself $100 billion (€86bn) by installing solar power panels in sunnier countries and wind turbines in windier places, the World Economic Forum's "Future of Electricity" platform said in a report released on Tuesday (20 January).

The German government says it will not provide capacity payments for fossil fuel power plants, but the country’s energy sector is insisting on assistance for its weak coal- and gas-fired power stations. EurActiv Germany reports.

An engrained, institutional bias in favour of building new energy production assets to boost supply means that cost-effective ‘no build’ technologies for managing - and reducing - demand on the consumer side have been ignored, writes Sara Bell.

Europe's ten largest gas and electricity associations have called upon the European Commission to enforce the 2013 directive on VAT fraud across all 28 member states. Only six states currently apply the directive. EurActiv France reports.